Was “hell” changed to “hades” to support the idea of purgatory?
Question:
Good day,
I received the following letter:
You're wrong, brother. The word was changed from "hell" to "Hades" as a way for the church to support purgatory, which is not true. There is no purgatory for sanctification, as sanctification is done here on Earth through the Holy Spirit who dwells within true believers. To be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord. Therefore, all who are truly saved go straight to paradise, and all who do not abide in Christ go to hell to await Judgement Day, where hell and death will be cast into the lake of fire, which is the second death. Therefore, there is no eternal life separate from God, but rather those who are not abiding in Christ will be destroyed on the second death forever.
Jesus said, 'I came to set man free from eternal death,' and that's the truth to answer any opinions elsewhere. The KJV is the right English translation from Hebrew and Greek scriptures and manuscripts. Be blessed, brother.
The argument between us stems from Revelation 20:14-15. This man believes that hell will be cast into the lake of fire, not hades. He also believes hell will end there. I gave him clear scriptures like Jude 1:7; Mathew 25:46, and Mark 9:43 that hell is forever, but he refuses to listen. How do I explain "absent from the body and present with God" to him?
Answer:
Please understand that you can present the perfect answer to someone's arguments, and he will still refuse to accept the arguments.
"Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire. And if anyone's name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire" (Revelation 20:14-15).
"Hades" is a transliteration of the Greek word hades. Therefore, hasn't been changed. It accurately reflects the content of the Greek text of the New Testament. The King James translators chose to render Hades as "hell." It also translates Gehenna and Tartarus as "hell." Thus, the choice of the translators obscured the actual wording, reflecting a confused belief that all three words refer to the same thing. The person you are writing to can't imagine that there are errors in the King James Version and assumes that everyone else must have gotten the wording wrong.
Transliterating the word "Hades" does not support the Roman Catholic Church's doctrine of purgatory.
Matthew 25:46 disproves his belief that those in Hell are destroyed. "These will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life." There cannot be an eternal punishment if the wicked no longer exist. I would challenge this person to cite Scripture that proves the wicked cease to exist.
His quote, "I came to set man free from eternal death," does not exist in the Bible. Ironically, the person who is upset about a word choice in one passage can't accurately quote the Bible.
Regarding the remainder of your questions, see "Where does the idea come from that at death your spirit goes to heaven to be with Jesus?"
